Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-06-18

TA 40"
SO, jumping up from his crouching position,
he tossed his arms into the air and sprang
and shouted in a way that left no mistake as
to his whereabouts. In another minute no
saw a man on horseback, cantering easily
toward him, in whom he had little difficulty
in recognizing as Frank Muller. He went
and picked up his hat; there was q bulletholc
right through it. Then, full of wrath, he ad-
vanced to meet Frank Muller.
What the did you mean by firing at
me.' he asked.
"Allemachter, Carle" almighty, my dear
fellow was the cool answer, ~ thought that
you We're a vilderbccste calf. 1 galloped the
cows and killed her, and she had a calf with
her, and when l got the cartridges out Of my
rihe-for one stuck and took me some time
and the new ones in, l looked up, and there,
as I thought, was the calf. Sc 1 got my rifle
on and let drive, first with one barrel and
then with the other, and when / saw you
jump up like that and shout, and that l had
been firing ut a man, l nearly tainted. Thank
the Almighty l did not hit you"
John listened coldly. Il suppose that am
bound to believe you, Meinheer Muller" he
said. "But l have been told that you have
the most wonderful sight of any man in these
parts, which makes it odd that at 300 yards
you should mistake q man upon his hands and
knees for a ~vilderbecste calf"
Does the captain think, then, that l wished
to murder him; especially" he added, "after
l took his hand this morning?'
II don't know what l think" answered
John, looking straight into Muller's eyes,
which fell before his own. "All l know is
that your curious mistake very nearly cost
me my life. Look Lere!" and he took a lock
of his brown hair out of the crown of his per-
forated hat and showed it to the other.
GAY, it was very close. Let us thank God
that you escaped"
ut could not well have been closer, mcin-
heer. l hope that, both for your own sake
and for the sake of the people who go out
shooting with you, you will not make such a
mistake again. Good morning"
The handsome Boer, Or Anglo-Boe sat on
his horse stroking his beautiful beard and
gazing curiously after John Niels sturdy
English looking figure as he marched toward
the cart for, of course, the wounded Wider
bceste had long ago vanished).
II WONDER" lie said to himself aloud, as lie
turned his horses head and rode ~leisurely
away, "if the old voik are right after all, and
if there is a Cod Frank Muller was suffi-
GENTLY ~impregnated with modern ideas to he
a free thlnker.l 1T almost seems like it," he
went on, 'else how did it come that the one
bullet passed under his belly and the other
just touched his head without harming him!
l aimed carefully enough, too, and l could
make the shot nineteen times out of twenty
and not miss. Bah, a God! l snap my
fingers at him. Chance is the only god.
Chance blows men about like the dead grass,
till death comes down like the veldt fire and
burns them up. But there are men who ride
chance as one rides a young colt-ay, who
turn its headlong rushing and rearing to their
own ends-who let it fly hither and thither
till it is weary, and then canter it along the
road that leads to triumph. !, Frank Null
Ter, an one of those men. never fail in the
end. will kill that Englishman. Perhaps l
will kill Did Silas Croft and the Hottentot,
too. BAH! they do not know what is coming.
l know; l have helped to lay the mine; and
unless they bend to my will I shall lie the one
to fire it. l will kill them all and l will take
Mooifontein, and then l will marry Bessie.
She will fight against it, but that will make
it all the sweeter. She loves that rooibaatje;
l know it, and I will kiss her over his dead
body. All! there are the carts. don't see
the captain. Driven home, l suppose, OH &C.
count of the shock to his nerves. Well, l
l must talk to those fools. Lord, what fools
they are with their talk about the land and
the 'verdomde Britische government They
don't know what is good for them. Silly
sheep, with Frank Muller for q shepherd!
Ay, and they shall have Frank Muller for q
president one day, and I will rule them, too.
Bah I hate the English; but I am glad that
] am half English for all that. for that is
where I get the brains! But these people
fools, fools. Well, I shall pipe and they shall
dancer
"Baas," said Jantje to John, as they were
driving homeward, "Baas Frank shot at you"
slow do you know thatw asked John.
II saw him. He was stalking the wounded
bull, and not looking for o calf at all. There
was no calf. He was just going to fire at the
wounded bull when he turned and saw you,
and he knelt down and covered you, and be-
fore l could do anything ne fired, and then
when lie saw that he had missed you he fired
again, and I don't know how it was be didn't
kill you, for he is a wonderful shot with a
rife-he never misses"
u will have the man tried for attempted
murder" said John, bringing the butt end
Of his ride down with a ta"o Oh to the bot